Trying my hand at hydro... Starting with one plan, one bucket... I have an air pump, pumping the shit out of that air in that stone... Ok so here's the questions,,,,, do I keep the air pump going ALL the time? How often do I change the water? I take it I should use nutrients in the water..... ???????
Deep water hydro
- Thread starter Ronbo
- Start date
Greenthumbs42019
Well-Known Member
Hey Ronbo, air pump stays on 24/7, roots always need oxygen. I change mine every 7-10 days, heard some go longer but not sure that’s recommended. Good luck.
AdaminCO
Well-Known Member
I would recommend a few weeks of serious research before pulling the trigger.
Yeah go big on the bubbles. Try and keep the res cool. Ph5. 9 to 5.5. Go easy on nutes at the start especially. Have fun.
As stated the air has to run 24/7 or you will drown them. Before even attempting DWC get good quality meters for PH and PPM/EC.
What nutrient line are you planning on running?
How big of a bucket are you in, 5gal?
Is your res and lid completely light proof? Black is best unless you wrap everything in reflective material.
How much room do you have to grown in?
What is your environment like temp/rh?
In the beginning you start out with lower nutrient levels (1/4 the recommended strength) and can probably get by with just plain water for top offs when and if they are required. Change the bucket nutrient mix every 7 days. Fill the bucket to about 1" from the bottom of the net pot. You may have to top feed at first until they get going.
You need to watch your bucket temps. If they are higher than 68 degrees F you will want to run hydroguard and or Z7 to keep bacteria and other pathogens growing in your rez.
Once the roots emerge from the net pot and reasch the water start increasing the nutrient levels. They will start drinking more. You will need to watch the PH for changes and the ppm to see how much they are eating. At this time the top off's will probably need to be 1/4 - 1/2 strength to maintain ppm levels.
There is a lot more to it than that but it's a start. Like the others said start reading as much as you can. The more you understand the easier it will be. The first time you do it the learning curve is steep but once you go through it everything should click and become automatic.
What nutrient line are you planning on running?
How big of a bucket are you in, 5gal?
Is your res and lid completely light proof? Black is best unless you wrap everything in reflective material.
How much room do you have to grown in?
What is your environment like temp/rh?
In the beginning you start out with lower nutrient levels (1/4 the recommended strength) and can probably get by with just plain water for top offs when and if they are required. Change the bucket nutrient mix every 7 days. Fill the bucket to about 1" from the bottom of the net pot. You may have to top feed at first until they get going.
You need to watch your bucket temps. If they are higher than 68 degrees F you will want to run hydroguard and or Z7 to keep bacteria and other pathogens growing in your rez.
Once the roots emerge from the net pot and reasch the water start increasing the nutrient levels. They will start drinking more. You will need to watch the PH for changes and the ppm to see how much they are eating. At this time the top off's will probably need to be 1/4 - 1/2 strength to maintain ppm levels.
There is a lot more to it than that but it's a start. Like the others said start reading as much as you can. The more you understand the easier it will be. The first time you do it the learning curve is steep but once you go through it everything should click and become automatic.
- Thread starter
- #7
What nutrient line are you planning on running? General Hydroponics Flora Micro, flora gro, Flora bloom
How big of a bucket are you in, 5gal? Yes
Is your res and lid completely light proof? Black is best unless you wrap everything in reflective material. Yes
How much room do you have to grown in? Plenty
What is your environment like temp/rh? Day-75 on the norm, Night-70 on the norm..
Thanks for the info... I was intrigued about the deep water hydro due to talking to a dude in the hydro shop... especially after he told me he was getting 19 ounces out of 3 plants..
Well it sounds like you have a decent grasp of what is needed. I run GH Flora line in DWC. They seem to be pretty forgiving in hydro. I follow their feeding schedule pretty much to the letter. Once the plants get fully developed it is one of the only nutrient lines that I run at full strength and the plants don't object. The nice thing with their 3 part is you pull the N levels down and up the P&K during flower.
Give it a go and see how you like it. Grab a decent commercial air pump and go for it. I know this is common sense but keep a detailed log for the first go at it. It will all click at some point through the grow. For the most part it is easy. The stretch is where things change allot with PH levels then it levels off. They will drink a lot when the root system gets large.
The speed, size and yeild are where DWC shines. No bugs in the medium to worry about. No mess that you have to deal with like coco and soil and when you're done the stalks and root ball is all that's left.
One warning if it is one is that the plants take another full week in stretch mode after you fill them compared to coco. They can get large quick. Unlike coco or soil where you can easiely stake them up it is more difficult to support them as the get large. I would sugest an indica leaning hybrid that doesn't get too tall for your first go around.
Give it a go and see how you like it. Grab a decent commercial air pump and go for it. I know this is common sense but keep a detailed log for the first go at it. It will all click at some point through the grow. For the most part it is easy. The stretch is where things change allot with PH levels then it levels off. They will drink a lot when the root system gets large.
The speed, size and yeild are where DWC shines. No bugs in the medium to worry about. No mess that you have to deal with like coco and soil and when you're done the stalks and root ball is all that's left.
One warning if it is one is that the plants take another full week in stretch mode after you fill them compared to coco. They can get large quick. Unlike coco or soil where you can easiely stake them up it is more difficult to support them as the get large. I would sugest an indica leaning hybrid that doesn't get too tall for your first go around.
senior7038
Active Member
And make sure you check your pH at least once daily; I check morning and evening. I also use hydroguard with every media change. Never had any root problems, even if the media temperature gets a bit high.
